How 9 Notable People Eat Breakfast

A 2006 study at Cornell University found that the average person makes roughly 200 different food-related decisions a day. Every one of them starts at breakfast. These early morning judgement calls reflect much about our personalities and lifestyles: what values do we put on convenience, comfort, substance or nutrition when we’re just trying to get out the door? To find out, we’ve gathered a handful of successful individuals — from the designer behind the Field Notes brand to one of the world’s top-ranked professional eaters – to find out how they take their eggs, among other telling gastronomic preferences. Their answers were funny and strange, often bashfully modest, and always revealing.

Andrea Westerlind

Q.In five words or less, describe your morning routine.A. I have very little routine.

Q.Breakfast, the most important meal of the day?A. Yes.

Q.Sitting down or on the go?A. I try to sit down but I’m also constantly traveling and I do a lot of outdoor adventure, which doesn’t always allow for sitting down.

Q.How do you take your eggs?A. I’m lucky having a French-Japanese chef boyfriend who’s perfected the art of egg-making in pretty much any way possible. He makes me breakfast every morning. Right now, my favorite is over easy with a side of sauteed broccolini and gruyere cheese.

Q.Coffee or juice?A. Very strong black coffee and a lot of it too.

Q.Order the perfect bagel.A. Toasted everything with cream cheese.

Q.What’s your quick breakfast hack?A. Date a chef.

Q.What’s your favorite meal to wake up to on a Sunday?A. I was just in Iceland skiing fjords from a ship. Each morning, our captain served a classic Scandinavian smorgasbord with a selection of cheese, charcuterie, jams, and coffee. Because they have midnight sun, there’s really no reason to rush, and you allow yourself hours of eating while planning the day’s adventure. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Aaron Draplin

Q.Breakfast, the most important meal of the day?A. I’m not hungry when I wake up. Takes a couple hours. But the facts point to small, healthy breakfast as a good way to start a day. Which of course, I don’t do.

Q.Sitting down or on the go?A. Sometimes, I’ll hit a top-secret Burgerville drive-thru on the way to the shop, and have that thing destroyed by the time I get there.

Q.How do you take your eggs?A. Scrambled. Or hard. Not down with the runny stuff.

Q.Coffee or juice?A. If it’s bacon and eggs, I love a Coke with ice. Otherwise, some fresh-squeezed orange juice hits the spot.

Q.Order the perfect bagel.A. Bacon, egg and American cheese. Done.

Q.What’s your quick breakfast hack?A. Get a burner going and fry an egg fast and hot. Toss two slices of Dave’s Killer Bread into the toaster at 75 percent power, throw a slice of cheese on it (provolone or swiss) and let that melt. Shake a couple splashes of Cholula hot sauce on it, sandwich it all together and get that thing down the hatch. I recommend doing this in a Finex skillet.

Q.What’s your favorite meal to wake up to on a Sunday?A. Bacon, eggs, home fries and a bagel. And a Coke! And just a can is cool. Not enough chemicals in those hipster Mexican bottles.

Adam Eldridge

Q.Breakfast, the most important meal of the day? A. Yes, the most important. I’ve gone without and lose my focus and the mental edge much earlier in the day. When I’m not thinking about being hungry, I stay in the zone. Prep the night before it makes it easier.

Q.Sitting down or on the go?A. Leaning on the counter. I keep the lights dim so I can be romantic with my mobile device. I’m checking international emails that have come in overnight and mentally listing priorities of return upon workshop arrival.

Q.How do you take your eggs?A. Three egg whites. Scrambled.

Q.Coffee or juice?A. Black. Too much of it. The coffee goes straight from the carafe into the thermos, which is then strapped onto the motorbike for the 10-minute trip to the workshop.

Q.Order the perfect bagel.A. Bagels? No way.

Q.What’s your quick breakfast hack?A. I like to prep and rehydrate black beans on Sundays and eat them for breakfast. I work alone in the shop.

Q.Favorite meal to wake up to on a Sunday?A. There’s a chill spot near my shop that makes a mean breakfast burrito. I’ll swing through on my way in.